As the story of Rupert Bendini begins at the age of thirty, we learn that he has had a reclusive life, and a life far from good fortune. His father was a rogue and left his family when Rupert was a child, his mother died shortly after that, his younger sister and only other sibling is living a blissful life in France with her family. Rupert and his sister Sophia were adopted by their sinister uncle Vinnie, and since the age of ten Rupert has toiled for his verbally abusive uncle at his grocery store. Rupert's keen observation instincts allow him to discover and reveal his uncle's truly horrific character. The oppressive uncle's grocery store doubles as a secret high-stakes gambling operation, of which Rupert has detected every detail. Although Rupert is aware of his absurd position at Vinnie's Foods, his introverted personality and non-confrontational nature prevent him from getting out of his trap. Rupert is a musician, taught violin by his mother at an early age. His ambition to succeed in this endeavor is squelched by the daily grind under which he feels compelled to endure. In the suburban neighborhood where Rupert works is a hard working window washer, an older man named Elias, the only one who can bring Rupert out of his shell. Elias breaks through and becomes a mentor and friend. A petty argument between Elias and Vinnie infuriates the grocer, Elias cleans the windows of their store, paid in secret by Rupert. Vinnie scoffs at this arrangement, and throws Elias out of his store. As this sequence of events is unfolding, Rupert's life is opening up, he makes friends in the neighborhood, The Elias Influence is a great positive force; and he even thinks of having a long-awaited reunion with his sister Sophia. The tragedy that unfolds after the beloved Elias is found battered, fuels Rupert into seeking justice. This, and the emergence of his goodhearted nature, brings forth wondrous and tenacious elements of a man's coming of age after a life filled with constant atrocities.
